Since ForeFlight opened up shop in 2007, it, along with other aviation apps, has revolutionized the way we fly making critical charts, approach plates and navigation tools previously carried in heavy flight bags available in a small portable tablet. Along the way, the app has been updated with all kinds of useful tools. This week, ForeFlight announced its latest feature: Airport 3D Views.
If you, like probably all pilots, have ever had trouble finding an airport and/or the runway in use during the final stages of a flight, this new feature will be appreciated. Airport 3D View allows you to explore the airport environment in a 3D image format. The image can be zoomed in and out, placing you at different altitudes shown on the screen. You can also rotate around the airport in various planes, from 3 degrees to 89 degrees, providing views from the final approach segment, directly from above and everything in between. The pictures, enhanced by high-resolution terrain imagery from Jeppesen, allows you to explore the landscapes and structures you will see as you approach the runway.
The Airport 3D View image also includes quick access buttons for each runway at the airport providing a view from the short final segment. A “compass” icon shows the location of north in relation to the airport view, providing additional situational awareness.
Airport 3D View is available for all airports in the ForeFlight database, as long as that database is updated and the software runs on version 11. The feature is not only an excellent preflight tool; it can also be used to explore airport environments in places that you might want to visit in the future.
The feature is included in ForeFlight’s Performance Plus subscription, which costs $299.99. Special pricing is available until February 18 with the promo code AIRPORT3D, increasing the subscription period from the standard 12 months to 15 months.
